


The Book of the Dragonborn

by KansasVenomoth



Series: Tales of the Elder Scrolls [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, Khajiit - Freeform, War, biography, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:53:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29371890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KansasVenomoth/pseuds/KansasVenomoth
Summary: Throughout Tamriel, many heroes have come and gone, many of them boasting great legends to go along with their heroic deeds. The legendary Ysgramor conquered all of Skyrim, the Hero of Kvatch ended the Oblivion Crisis, the Vestige bested a Daedric Prince in combat, Cyrus the Restless brought peace to Stros M'Kai, Tiber Septim conquered all of the known world. None of them, however, can quite match the legends and myths that surround the Last Dragonborn, the slayer of the World-Eater. Though Alduin has been gone for many centuries, the Dragonborn's stories continue to fascinate and inspire scholars and hopeful heroes alike.-------So, I've used the Dragonborn in question for a few stories, but never anything set purely in the Elder Scrolls universe itself, and as such, I'm gonna try something a little different from my usual stuff. This will read much like any biographical text, or at least, that's my goal, detailing the life of the Dragonborn, being written by an unknown author. Book cover comes directly from the in-game book of the in-game title. The books makes frequent mentions of lore-friendly mods on the Xbox One version of Skyrim. New chapters posted on a (mostly) weekly basis.
Series: Tales of the Elder Scrolls [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157546
Kudos: 3





	1. The Prophecy

**_When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world_ **

**_When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped_ **

**_When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles_ **

**_When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls_ **

**_When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding_ **

**_The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn._ ** ****


	2. Before the Storm

Born into the Anair Clan in Torval, Ja'vassa's early years were relatively simple. The Anair Clan were a relatively large family of Khajiit that boasted large amounts of wealth and influence within the province. The family predominantly lived in the southern areas, close to the border of Valenwood. Their incredible wealth comes from a number of enterprises, primarily that of the Anair Shipping Company, a delivery business aimed to compete with the East Empire Company, shipping all kinds of goods across the Aldmeri Dominion and beyond. Domestically, the members of the family are known for a diverse range of goods and services, ranging from alchemical services, weapon and armor sales, to even more illicit services. 

Ja'vassa was born to his father, Ri'asma, the head of the Anair Clan and his mother, Sashima; the third wife of his father. He was the second of three children; his elder brother, Morassa and his younger sister, Chiara. Of course, beyond his direct family, he had a number of cousins that had grown close to and beyond the Anair Clan, Ja'vassa found himself to be a fairly sociable Khajiit. In particular, he became close to the daughter of the head of the Savandi Clan, a Khajiit by the name of Armani. The two of them had developed a strong relationship and whenever Ja'vassa wasn't busy with anything, he and Armani could frequently be spotted together. They regularly slept, ate, and played together. Unknown to them, in an effort to strengthen the ties between their clans, their fathers had quietly arranged to get the two married. It made the most sense, considering how close the two already were.

Whenever he wasn't with Armani, Ja'vassa would often work with members of his clan, learning the trades they used. He took up blacksmithing, alchemy, combat, and of course, magic, being considered a prodigy in the arcane arts. It wasn't surprising, considering the Anair Clan has had a long history of magic, boasting many powerful wizards in the clan's history, including that of the Hero of Kvatch and the Vestige. While it took him a bit longer to master blacksmithing and alchemy, he was able to master spells that many of his elders struggled with, favoring the Destruction school of magic. Like any other Khajiit, he was taught to use his natural abilities as a Khajiit to his advantage. Though he initially struggled in the stealth department, he made incredible use of his speed and agility, using them for precise, quick strikes. 

Like many young Khajiit in the Anair Clan, they were trained in a variety of weapons. Ja'vassa became particularly adept in using swords; both one-handed and two-handed variants, war axes, bows, and spears. Outside his training and his time spent with Armani, he had found a love for reading and studying, and though he lived in Elsweyr, he found himself particularly interested in a number of ancient cultures; the Akaviri, Dwemer, Ayleids, and the Dragon Cult were particular interests of his. This interest in them led him to reading anything and everything he could get his hands on, sparking a desire to eventually travel to northern Tamriel to better research the subjects. 

At around sixteen years old, the Khajiit would prepare for his first adventure, aiming for the Ayleid Ruin of Silorn just across the border into Cyrodiil. Of course, Ja'vassa wouldn't be leaving on this trip alone. He would be joined by his younger sister who had shared a similar interest in the extinct race of elves. After receiving their father's blessing, the pair had prepared themselves for the long journey ahead of them. Their first stop was in Corinth, then Riverhold, and then finally stopping in the Cyrodilic city of Skingrad to rest and get some supplies before tackling the ancient city. While both Khajiit were expertly trained and were considered to be among the finest of their fellow warriors, they were fairly nervous about wandering through the Ayleid ruins. They hadn't done much exploring beyond the limits of Torval and were often warned to stay away from the Tenmar Forest. 

After a few days of rest and preparation in Skingrad, the young Khajiit set out on the road once more. Their expedition through Silorn was relatively uneventful, nothing more than a few short skirmishes with undead wandering about the decrepit halls. Fortunately, the journey wasn't a waste as they had managed to collect a number of Welkynd and Varla Stones, having turned them over to the local shopkeepers for a fair profit. Their adventures through Cyrodiil's many Ayleid ruins would continue for nearly four years before they decided it was time to move their adventures out of the Imperial Province and into the frozen province of Tamriel, intrigued to explore the various Nordic and Dwarven ruins that decorated Skyrim's landscape.  
Unfortunately, this decision would turn out to be a grave mistake on their part. Soon after crossing over from Bruma County and into Falkreath Hold, the pair would find themselves unintentionally caught up in a skirmish between the Imperial Legion and the rebel Stormcloaks. Being mistaken by enemies on both sides of the group, the Khajiit had joined the battle with much confusion. The conflict went about more or less as expected; Ja'vassa and Chiara were able to keep up with their opponents, being able to stay in it with their superior speed and agility. 

Even with all their skill, it wouldn't be enough to avoid tragedy. Amidst the struggle, Chiara had been struck by a stray arrow, burrowing deep into her chest. In a panic, Ja'vassa threw his sword down and rushed to her side. Despite his natural gift for Restoration magic, there was nothing he could do to save his sister. By the time he'd be able to pull out the arrow lodged in her chest, she would've bled out. With broken hearts, the siblings shared their final goodbyes. Chiara gifted him with the family pendant, a necklace she had received from their parents soon after her birth and left him with one last embrace, tears staining their cheeks as they held each other. By this point, Ja'vassa cared little as to whether he would be arrested or killed on the spot, his heart heavy with guilt and anguish. 

Fortunately, the Imperial soldiers were merciful enough to at least let him bury his sister and give her his final words before being escorted onto one of a few carriages bound for Helgen. He didn't know what to expect, though he didn't really care either. The death of Chiara weighed heavily on his mind. Along the ride, he had become acquainted with a thief and a handful of Stormcloak soldiers.

Hours had passed since the fateful battle and they had finally arrived in the small village, being greeted by General Tullius, the Military Governor. As one would expect, Ja'vassa and his fellow prisoners were being lined up for the chopping block. One by one, the Stormcloaks had their heads lopped off until it was the Khajiit's turn to join Chiara in the afterlife. Without any hesitation, he followed the captain's orders and dutifully knelt down, awaiting to feel the cold embrace of the executioner's axe.   
Mere moments before the executioner could finish the job, an unexpected visitor had crashed the party; a massive dragon had shown up, interrupting the execution mere seconds before Ja'vassa would be killed. Amidst the chaos and confusion as a result of the beast's sudden arrival, the Khajiit was able to escape Helgen with the help of some of his fellow prisoners. Once the group managed to get out of the burning village, their next stop was Riverwood, a small settlement to the north. He'd arrive in the village alongside Ralof, having explained what happened in Helgen to a small group. After they had finished speaking, Ja'vassa had been requested to send word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun.

The Khajiit was hesitant to agree; while it was true, he wouldn't have escaped if not for Ralof and his sister did help him get some supplies, but considering the recent skirmish with the Stormcloaks, and the province's natural dislike of the Khajiit, he wasn't entirely sure if they'd even believe him. Hesitantly, he had accepted and set off from Riverwood after recovering from the recent chaos in Helgen. 

The walk between Riverwood and Whiterun didn't take all that long and once he had arrived in the hold capital, the guards had been surprisingly cooperative. He might not have been trusted, but any news regarding Helgen was greatly appreciated. After meeting Jarl Balgruuf, Ja'vassa had explained to him what he witnessed at Helgen; the dragon attack, uncertainty on whether General Tullius or Ulfric Stormcloak escaped the village, and where he last saw the dragon heading off. With the information in hand, Ja'vassa had been tasked with retrieving an ancient stone tablet for the court wizard.

After arriving in Bleak Falls Barrow, the Khajiit had delved into the dungeon, cutting down bandits and draugr alike in pursuit of the ancient Dragonstone. Fueled by both an unbreakable determination and curiosity, he would eventually reach the end of the dungeon, encountering one last draugr before he'd be able to claim the stone. More importantly, he had discovered an odd wall decorated with an inscription in a language he had never seen before. Despite that, a word had jumped out at him -- "Fus..." -- echoed through his mind. The word resonated with him, though he was unable to figure out why. Though curious, he figured he'd look into after he returned the Dragonstone.


	3. Destiny Awaits

With the Dragonstone in hand, the young Khajiit returned to Whiterun to present it to the court wizard. Ecstatic with his surprising success, Farengar had given him some uncommon praise, though he hadn't been given his reward for it quite yet as a new task had been given to him. The Jarl's housecarl had interrupted them, informing them of a dragon sighting nearby. Considering his experience with the dovah back in Helgen, Balgruuf figured he'd be of great use on the battlefield and sent him to join Irileth and a number of guards in the hopes of bringing it down. Seeing as he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, he agreed and headed off towards the Watchtower with Irileth and her group.

After arriving, they had engaged in combat with a dragon that introduced himself as Mirmulnir. As one would expect, none were really quite sure as to what they should do against this scaly beast, so they had taken to simply bombarding it with as much as they could muster. Arrows, magic, swords, every tool at their disposal was being used and thanks to their efforts, they had managed to slay the dovah. Killing the dragon was a monumental achievement for them, but this wasn't the only thing that'd happen that day. After it had fallen, the beast's flesh began to burn and disintegrate, and as it did that, a strange aura formed around Ja'vassa; seemingly empowering him. Once again, the very same word jumped out at him. _"Fus..."_ echoed through his mind.

Astonished by what they had witnessed, one of the Whiterun guards had taken the liberty of informing of what might've just happened. According to them, he was the mythical Dragonborn, like that of Tiber Septim before him. His ability to shout and the apparent absorption of the dragon further confirmed it. After a brief discussion with Irileth and the other guards, Ja'vassa would return to the Jarl to inform him of their victory and about what happened to him, though as he made the trek back to Whiterun, a quartet of voices echoed throughout Skyrim. _"Dovahkiin!"_ The voices called out, mystifying anyone that heard them. This would just confirm what the guards had told him back at the Watchtower. 

With the Jarl's recommendations, Ja'vassa had set out for High Hrothgar to meet with the ones who had called for him, believing that if these Greybeards truly thought he was Dragonborn, they'd be able to help him master his voice, and perhaps with any luck, he'd do some good for the province in the near future. The trip out to this ancient monastery was a relatively short and uneventful trip for the most part, once he had arrived at High Hrothgar, he was met with the elderly Greybeards. Master Arngeir had introduced himself as the speaker for the group and with his guidance, he had begun to learn more about the Thu'um, having mastered the Unrelenting Force shout, and with it, he had begun to learn Whirlwind Sprint and Become Ethereal. As mentioned by the speaker, they were they to help in pursuit of his destiny, though they were unsure of his destination.

With his introductory training out of the way, Ja'vassa had taken it upon himself to try and expand upon what he's learned thus far. According to the Greybeards, there were numerous Words of Power written in the dragon language across Skyrim just waiting to be discovered. With Arngeir's help, he had gone out to the ruins of Volskygge. As he traveled through the ancient Nordic city, he had discovered a wealth of ancient treasures, but more importantly, he encountered one of the eight Dragon Priests that used to rule over Skyrim in place of their dragon overlords. Volsung had awoken, clearly unhappy with this outsider stumbling upon his summit, had introduced himself with a powerful Fireball spell. It was a long, hard fought battle, almost resulting in Ja'vassa's death. After the priest had fallen, he had claimed Volsung's mask for himself, and along with it, he had learned the second word of Whirlwind Sprint.

For the next few months, his travels would consist largely of the same thing. He'd take trips up to High Hrothgar to meditate on the Thu'um with the Greybeards, learn of the location of a new Word of Power, and then he'd go out in search of them. Thanks to his dedication, he had begun to learn a number of new shouts including Fire Breath, Storm Call, Ice Form, and throw voice, obtaining the masks of Vokun and Krosis along the way. His acquisition of the three masks had garnered some new interests for him; he was now aiming to unlock the secrets left behind by this ancient priests, he aimed to learn the magics they left behind, to uncover the secrets the ancient Nords held, perhaps even uncover a map to Atmora, and much more. In order to do so, his next stop would be the College of Winterhold, believing that the Mage's College would not only allow him to grow as a wizard, but perhaps they'd have something to be learned about the ancient Dragon Cult


	4. Winterhold

The Dragonborn's trip out to Winterhold hadn't taken very long, though the city had certainly lived up to its name. Blizzard-like conditions blanketed the town, visibility being well below average. Fortunately for him, he was able to find his way to the college. Before he'd be granted entry, he was required to display some skill of wizardry. For him, this wasn't a difficult task; demonstrating a Firebolt spell was child's play by this point in his life. Impressed with it, Faralda had led him across the bridge and towards the entrance. From there, he would meet with the Master Wizard, Mirabelle. After meeting with her, she had given him a brief tour of the college grounds, showing him around the mystical building. Once it was out of the way, he made it for his first lectures, learning more about magical wards from the Alteration wizard, Tolfdir.

Following the brief lecture, he had joined Tolfdir and a number of other students on a field trip to Saarthal, one of the earliest Nord settlements in Skyrim. This presented Ja'vassa with an exciting opportunity as he always wanted the chance to delve into the ruins and study it, eager to learn the history behind some of Tamriel's earliest human settlements. It started out just as one would expect; they entered the ruined city, looked around for any artifacts, and explored whatever they could find. The expedition had lasted a few hours, ending in the discovery of a strange orb boasting massive amounts of magical power, though its origins were unclear.

Amazed by what they found, the Dragonborn practically dashed back to the college to inform the Arch-Mage of the discovery, promising the Tolfdir would likely be more informative. Following the discovery, things around the College would be relatively normal. He and a few students had resumed their research, but it eventually became clear that the Thalmor agent couldn't be trusted around it, as evidenced by the appearance of a Psijic Monk. They explained to him the longer the Eye remained in the College, the more dangerous the situation would become. As prompted by the monk, he had sought out the Augur and would learn that he'd need to discover the Staff of Magnus to prevent the coming disaster.

After informing the Arch-Mage and the Master Wizard, he had trudged off to the ruins of Mzulft to meet with some Synod wizards. After exploring the ruins and battling it out with various Falmer and Dwarven mechanisms, he had met with the sole survivor and with his help, he had discovered that the Staff was hidden somewhere in Labyrinthian. Unfortunately, as he returned to Winterhold, he had discovered the College had erupted into chaos just like the Augur had warned him about. Rushing up the bridge, he would aid the Arch-Mage and Master Wizard in taking down a barrier surrounding Ancano and the Orb, though this only created more trouble; a sudden explosion tossed the three to the side, killing the Arch-Mage and severely injuring Mirabelle. In desperation, Ja'vassa quickly made his way to Labyrinthian in search of the staff, a journey that lasted just a few short hours.

After arriving in the ancient ruins, he had delved into them, fighting hordes of skeletons and draugr that inhabited the ruins, he had come across another Dragon Priest, Morokei. Their encounter resulted in a fierce, deadly battle. Ja'vassa ultimately came out on top, though the conflict resulted in severe injuries; a strike from the Staff did considerable damage to him, forcing him to seek refuge for hours, leaving him with a strange pattern of fur running up his left arm. Once he had mostly recovered, he'd make his way back to the College, but was stopped by an ally of Ancano's. It wasn't nearly as dangerous as the previous conflict as the Staff made short work of the Thalmor agent.

With the situation growing dire at the College, Ja'vassa rushed for Winterhold for a final showdown with Ancano. Thanks to the Eye, the two of them were relatively matched in terms of magical prowess, though, like before, the Staff of Magnus was enough to give him the upper hand in the conflict, giving him the opportunity to cut down the elf once and for all. With Ancano dead, the problem hadn't yet been solved. The Eye had grown unstable, forcing several Psijic Monks to step in and remove the orb. With it gone, the College had settled down and returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be. Following the chaos, Ja'vassa would be named Arch-Mage of Winterhold, being gifted a specialized set of robes and boots, along with the keys to the Arch-Mage's quarters. Now that he could focus on his studies again, Ja'vassa would do just that. He'd practice and research anything he could find, spending much of his time holed up in his quarters to focus on this


	5. Heroes of Sovngarde

Following the chaos in Winterhold, Ja'vassa would receive a strange letter from someone seeking to meet with him in the Sleeping Giants Inn back in Riverwood. Unsure of what to make of it, he decided to head out to investigate. After arriving in the small village, he had been met with a strange woman, the same one he had briefly met back in Whiterun. Confused and slightly suspicious, the woman had explained that her group had been looking for him, or at least someone like him for a very long time. Before she had believed that he was indeed the Dragonborn people claimed he was, he would have to join her on a trip to Kynesgrove to kill a dragon.

After arriving in the small mining community, the Dragonborn and this strange woman had gotten right down to business; they made their way up to the old dragon burial mound near the village. There, Ja'vassa had encountered the very dragon that saved him from his execution back in Helgen. The beast's reappearance didn't seem to be merely coincidental either, seeing as it had directly called him out as the Dovahkiin. It also turned out that Delphine was correct that something was indeed resurrecting the dragons. After the midnight dragon had revived the other, the duo had been pulled into a battle with the dragon that referred to himself as Salokonir. Following a long, deadly battle, the pair of mortals had eventually pulled out on top.

The Khajiit had absorbed the slain dragon's soul, much like the prophecies had spoken of. It was more than enough to convince Delphine that he was indeed the rumored Dragonborn. She had explained that her organization, the Blades, had been seeking a Dragonborn since the last Septim emperor, but due to the Thalmor, many of the old agents had either been killed or gone into hiding. Following her explanation, the two of them would devise a plan to try and find out who was behind the dragons, with Delphine suggesting that might be her old enemies in those elven supremacists. With the civil war ravaging Skyrim and now with the random dragon attacks, it was the only thing that made sense as no one besides the Thalmor would benefit from an Empire in absolute chaos.

After a brief separation between them, the undercover agent had managed to procure an invitation for one of Elenwen's parties at Skyrim's Thalmor Embassy. He would be set up to meet with a contact of hers in Solitude, giving him a few things to smuggle into the Embassy to ensure his mission went successfully. Reaching the Embassy was the easy part, trying to stay in character wasn't. In order to avoid suspicions, the Khajiit mingled with a few guests, studying their patterns and mannerisms as he went along. With the help of the elf that smuggled his gear in, he had managed to set off a distraction with one of the party's guests. With everyone distracted, he and Malborn slipped out, giving the Dragonborn a chance to collect his gear and storm his way through the Embassy.

The high elves weren't nearly as high and mighty as they made themselves out to be. He had fought his way through numerous Thalmor agents, though it seemed to be all for naught. Much like himself and Delphine, they were just as clueless about the dragon attacks, though they were searching for a man named Esbern, believing he may know more about it. After escaping the Embassy and returning to Riverwood, he explained what he had found to Delphine and with her suggestion, he headed out to Riften to search for this old man. In order to get the information he required, he had been tasked by a local conman in getting a local shopkeeper falsely imprisoned. It was successful, and though the Khajiit felt guilty in doing so, he was able to pay off Brand-Shei's fine just a few days later.

With the information in hand, he had wandered about the Ratway, though disgusted by the mess and annoyed by the lowlifes that attacked him, he was determined to find the old man and get out of there. Unfortunately, he'd not only be impeded by these lowlifes, but the Thalmor as well. Desiring vengeance for what he did at the Embassy and to take Esbern as their prisoner, he would once again do battle with them. The elves weren't much more successful in the Ratway than the ones back in the Embassy; they were quickly cut down and with the elderly Blades agent in his protection, the pair made their way for Riverwood.

Once Esbern and Delphine had been properly reunited, they had begun to discuss their next course of action. The elderly man was able to explain a great deal about what was going on. Ja'vassa's role in the prophecy, the black dragon reviving all the others, though to learn more, they would make their way towards Sky Haven Temple, an ancient Akaviri fortress that had once been used as a base for the ancient Blades and has since fallen into disrepair. Now, much of the exterior was being used as a camp for the savage Forsworn, leading the Dragonborn and his allies to a great battle. Refusing to back down after coming so far, Ja'vassa fought with ferocity never seen before. After what seemed to be an eternity, they had managed to successfully fight off the barbarous tribe of warriors.

Once inside the ancient Akaviri temple, the trio had explored the building, trying to find anything they could make use of. Ja'vassa had discovered the ancient blade known as Dragonbane. The katana had been forged specifically to combat the dragons, boasting a powerful enchantment that did extra. He took the sword for himself, believing it would be useful in his future battles. With the sword in his possession, he had joined with Esbern and Delphine as they studied Alduin's Wall, trying to figure out what they'd need to combat the World-Eater. They had discovered that they'd need a special shout in order to bring the beast to the ground, but unfortunately, the words were lost. This prompted the Khajiit to visit his Greybeards mentors in the hopes they'd be able to teach him, but unfortunately, they did not. Because of the path he had been set on, he would need to speak with the Master of the Greybeards.

With the use of Clear Skies, he'd make the perilous trek up to the peak of the mountain where he'd surprisingly meet a friendly dragon, the master of the order, Paarthurnax. Like the Greybeards, the old Dovah did not know the words of power either, but had instead pointed him in the direction of an Elder Scroll. This new journey not only led him to the depths of Blackreach, but also gave him his first encounter with Hermaeus Mora. This meeting with the Daedric Lord would not only lead him to discover the Elder Scroll, but would also lead to him receiving the Oghma Infinium, the Prince's artifacts. It's said that the reader would gain incredible amounts of knowledge, though Ja'vassa felt he wasn't ready for it, so he simply held onto it until the time was right.

With the Elder Scroll in hand, he returned to the Throat of the World to read it. The scroll transported him back to the climax of the Dragon War where he'd learn Dragonrend from the ones who created it. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to relax afterwards as Alduin had shown up, intent on destroying the Dovahkiin before he could return the favor. A furious struggle ensued between the two, with Ja'vassa employing the chief weapon of his ancient foes. Dragonrend forced the World-Eater to the ground, allowing the Khajiit to get to work; trading slashes and Fireballs for painful bites and Fire Breaths. By the time their skirmish came to an end, both parties were severely injured. Ja'vassa clung onto his bloodied arm, his robes tattered and bloodied while the snow around both of them were stained with that fresh crimson liquid. Neither was able to successfully overcome the other, forcing Alduin to flee to the Nordic afterlife in order to regain his strength.

Though the battle hadn't ended in total failure for Ja'vassa, things were reaching a critical point. He needed to find where Alduin's portal was and as quickly as possible. This led Paarthurnax to suggest that he lure a dragon to the palace in Whiterun. It was worth a shot, but it wasn't gonna be easy to get Jarl Balgruuf to agree, especially with the ongoing civil war. Regardless of what might hold it back, he headed off for Whiterun to explain the situation. The Jarl was eager to help, especially since Ja'vassa had previously done many great services for the city, but as he expected, the war prevented him from giving him the necessary aid. This would prompt him and the Greybeards to host a peace council to negotiate a temporary truce between the Stormcloaks and Imperials.

It was difficult, but he had managed to get them to agree to the truce; the Stormcloaks had gained control of Markarth in exchange for handing Riften over to the Imperials. With the terms in place, Ja'vassa and Balgruuf were able to get the plan in motion. Once they had returned to Dragonsreach, Ja'vassa called for the dragon, Odahviing, engaging in a brief battle that ultimately ended with the Dovah being trapped in the old palace. In exchange for his freedom, Odahviing agreed to take Ja'vassa to Skuldalfn where Alduin's portal rested. Unsurprisingly, the journey up to where the portal awaited resulted in another trek through an ancient Nord ruin and many brief, but bloody battles with the Draugr that prowled the area. He was rewarded with the first word of Storm Call, and more importantly, the mask of Nahkriin.

Though nervous, the Dragonborn had entered Sovngarde for one final showdown with Alduin. The land of the dead was more beautiful than he could've hoped for, a wondrous sight he wouldn't soon forget. The stars shimmered like diamonds in the sky, the air and water felt so pure and clean. If not for the impending battle, it would've made for a wonderful place to rest. His journey through the afterlife eventually brought him to the Hall of Valor, though before he'd be granted entry, he'd be tested by Tsun, the God of Trials against Adversity, wanting to ensure he would be worthy to enter the great halls. Fortunately, the Dragonborn was deemed worthy and was granted entry. Inside the Hall of Valor, he'd meet numerous mythical heroes including that of Ysgramor and Jurgen Windcaller, along with the three that were responsible for originally defeating the World-Eater.

Following a brief council session between them, they headed out to face the World-Eater one last time. With the combined power of their Voices, they had drawn Alduin out and forced him into battle. Much like on the Throat of the World, this encounter led to a great and immense battle. Swords clashed with Alduin's dark scales, fires razed the fields of Sovngarde, smoke blocked out the gorgeous skies. It was an unpleasant scene for anyone in attendance. The stream of meteors from Alduin's voice only made things that much more difficult. Trying avoid the streams of fire and the flaming rocks that rained down from the heavens, combined with Alduin's speed in the sky proved to be more than a match for the quartet of heroes, but a well timed Dragonrend shout from the four of them had given them the edge they needed.

Once Alduin was on the ground, the heroes attacked him with great fury, giving everything they had with each and every strike. This would go on for a while longer, but ultimately, the willpower of the mortals overcame the World-Eater, destroying him once and for all, though Ja'vassa hadn't absorbed his soul like he would with most other dragons. With Alduin's shadow lifted from Sovngarde, the Dragonborn returned to the realm of the living hailed as a great hero who's triumphs rivaled that of Tiber Septim. Following his return to Whiterun, he had purchased Breezehome and decided it was time to rest for a while, the previous conflicts leaving him weary and exhausted. Unknown to him, his journey would be far from over.


	6. Immortal Blood

His normal life in Whiterun hadn't last too long as just a few shorts weeks following the World-Eater's defeat, the Khajiit had been contacted by a member of a vampire hunting faction known as the Dawnguard, believing that having the Dragonborn among their ranks would make their jobs much easier. Though Ja'vassa simply wanted to rest and attempt to live a mostly normal life, he figured it wouldn't hurt to look into it. He set off for Dayspring Canyon where this Fortress was located. Once he had arrived, he had met with the faction's leader, Isran, who had quickly recruited him and sent him off on a trial mission of sorts. This mission would be the only one he'd complete for the Dawnguard.

The task sent him out to explore and investigate Dimhollow Crypt, the goal was to try and discover this ancient artifact that had a number of curious vampires investigating it. The Dawnguard wanted to secure it before the bloodsuckers could get their undead hands on it. After arriving at the ancient ruins, it had gone about just like any other dungeon crawl for him. He wandered about the crumbling halls, slaying vampires and draugr, collecting anything he could make use of along the way. His use of fire magic and enchantments made the expedition considerably easier and eventually, he would come across the source of interest.

He had discovered a strange tomb that held an equally strange vampiric woman, someone he would grow very close to in the coming years. She had introduced herself as Serana, though she hadn't trusted Ja'vassa enough to delve into the full story, though promised to tell him more if he managed to get her home. There, he'd be introduced to her father, a powerful vampire that ruled over an equally powerful clan of vampires, the Volkihar. In exchange for his daughter's and the Elder Scroll's safe return, he had offered him the same power he wielded; the blood of the Vampire Lord. Though he knew the Dawnguard likely wouldn't welcome him back into their fold, the lure of eternal life and the power that came with the vampire was too much for the Dragonborn to resist. He accepted the gift and with Harkon's training, he would become a deadly force to reckon, though this also had turned the Dawnguard into one of his more deadly adversaries as a result of his betrayal.

Now that he worked under Lord Harkon, he would be given a number of tasks; the first one led him to a rundown skooma den in the Rift, he considered it to be a trial of sorts. Unsurprisingly, the expedition through the den had turned into yet another dungeon crawl. He cut through numerous thralls and vampires, collected any gold he could find, only to eventually reach his goal. Once he discovered the bloodspring, he had filled the Bloodstone Chalice and would return to Castle Volkihar to be given yet another task, this one being a bit more important. Along with other members of the court, he had been ordered to explore Skyrim in search of a moth priest so they could read the Elder Scroll and hear the words of the prophesied time when vampires would finally claim dominion over a seemingly insurmountable enemy, the sun itself.

Unsure of where to start, Ja'vassa had planned to make a trip to the College of Winterhold, believing they would have some resources he could make use of. He wouldn't make this trip alone, Serana had joined him, eager to get out and explore the world a bit. After arriving in the hold capital, they made their way for the Arcaneum, asking around for information regarding the priest. The librarian had informed them that this rumored priest would likely be in Dragon Bridge, likely heading up for Solitude before they'd return to Cyrodiil. With no time to spare, the duo rushed over for the western hold, but rather than coming across the priest itself, they had discovered a bloodied mess; several Imperial soldiers slain along with the corpses of a few vampires, though no priest was to be found. This prompted them to follow a trail of blood that led to a nearby cave where they had encountered a number of Dawnguard agents that appeared to either be protecting or imprisoning a moth priest. 

Unsure of what to make of the scene, the pair of vampires figured they could speculate on what the Dawnguard wanted after they dealt with them. Despite their claim to be an elite faction of vampire hunters, it was relatively easy to take them out. Once they had been dealt with, all that was left was to enthrall the priest and bring him back to Castle Volkihar. The pair would be successful in this, but unfortunately, the reading of the Elder Scroll wasn't as useful as they had hoped. This would lead the pair on yet another search, though this time, they hadn't left the comfort of the Castle. They needed to find Valerica, Serana's mother and retrieve her Elder Scroll in order to figure out the last part of the prophecy. The trek through the previously hidden parts of Castle Volkihar would eventually lead them to discovering Valerica's old study and more importantly, with some snooping around the study, they had picked up her old journal, and with it, they were able to open up a portal to a realm of Oblivion known as the Soul Cairn, the realm where those who have been unfortunately soul trapped go.

After entering this hellish plane, the pair of vampires had begun to explore it in search of Serana's mother, eventually being successful in this search. They had met with Valerica, finding that she had been trapped in some old ruins for thousands of years, it wasn't until Serana and Ja'vassa had destroyed the three keepers of the barrier that she'd be able to wander beyond the old ruins. Before they'd be able to take Valerica's scroll home, they'd have to deal with the strongest of the Cairn's guardians, a dragon named Durnehviir. His variety of Thu'ums made him rather troublesome to deal with, but Ja'vassa's sword of Dragonbane combined with a variety of shouts and fire spells, he had come out on top and with Durnehviir's defeat, the duo had collected the Elder Scroll, soon returning to the realm of the living. Unfortunately for them, the Moth Priest that they had enthralled would no longer be able to help them as the previous reading had rendered him blind due to failure to properly prepare for the initial reading.

He had instead pointed them in the direction of the Ancestor Glade where he would be able to read the other Scroll with the help of ancestor moths. Dexion's suggestions proved to be correct as the moths provided him with the extra sight to decipher the remaining bits of the prophecy. The Scroll revealed the location of Auriel's Bow, prompting them to travel out to Darkfall Passage. After hours of wandering the dank cave, they had met with one of the last surviving snow elves, this snow elf would task them with slaying his brother who he believed was corrupted by the Betrayed, but before they could reach the Arch-Curate, Ja'vassa would need to follow the path of the Initiates. He and Serana would visit the five Wayshrines spread out through the Vale, fighting their way through hordes of Falmer and even a pair of powerful dragons, they had managed to the Inner Sanctum for a showdown with Vyrthur. While Ja'vassa felt slightly guilty about contributing to the extinction of the snow elves.

After Vyrthur had been cut down, Ja'vassa was awarded with Auriel's Bow and now that he had the arcane weapon in his hands, the only thing left to do was to confront and kill Lord Harkon. Though hesitant, they needed to do it as soon as possible, otherwise Harkon and his cronies would continue to hunt them down for the remainder of their lives. They had eventually returned to Castle Volkihar for that final confrontation. After exchanging some rather unfriendly words, the battle had begun, though unlike with many of his stronger opponents, Ja'vassa had the clear upper hand this time. His extensive use of fire magic made it considerably easier to take on the vampire lord, combined with a silver sword he had bought specifically for combating the undead. All of this made the battle that much easier for him. 

Though Harkon proved to be fairly durable, it wasn't enough to hang on against the Dragonborn's barrage of flames. He was eventually defeated by the pair of vampires, and with his defeat, Ja'vassa had claimed Harkon's old blade, keeping it as a reminder of his accomplishments there. To this day, the sword remains a treasured possession of his. After the chaos had unfolded in the Volkihar Keep, he was named the new Lord of the Clan, though before he'd properly settle down in the castle, he returned to Whiterun to rest and rejuvenate, reflecting upon his recent actions. He was growing homesick and missed the shining seas of Torval, though he was hesitant to return home to inform his family of what happened to Chiara. For the next few months, he'd attempt to lead a mostly normal life in Whiterun, unsure of what the future would hold for him.


	7. Reunification of Skyrim

Like before, Ja'vassa's return to a normal life was a brief one as he would be approached by a messenger from the Stormcloak army. Though he might've been a Khajiit, they figured that while he'd make for a powerful ally, he'd make for just as deadly an enemy. They wanted to secure his allegiance as soon as possible, at least before the Imperials had a chance to do so. The Dragonborn was genuinely considering joining the Stormcloaks; he had little love for the Imperials, especially since he blames them for the death of his beloved sister, but he knew that the Nords held little love for his people. Would a Stormcloak victory do anything to help change the way they view the Khajiit? Would it make things worse? Then there was the Thalmor to worry about. A Stormcloak victory was something they wanted.

Unable to give the courier the answer right then and there, he decided to take a trip around the province to clear his head. For the first time since he arrived in Skyrim, he really didn't have much of a path. No villain to slay, no quest to undertake. Nothing. His aimless wandering eventually led him to visiting the City of Stone, Markarth. He wanted to visit the Stormcloak held capitals, aiming to see how they ran things, and then he would do the same for Imperial controlled territories. Markarth's first impression was anything but what the guards outside told him. 'Safest City in the Reach' they said, yet not even a full ten minutes had gone by before he witnessed some crazed man murder a random woman in the streets. All he could make out was some random shouting about the Forsworn; he's heard stories of them and had encountered them previously. All he knew was that they were nothing more than disgusting savages. Once the chaos was under control, the Dragonborn had been dragged into a private investigation regarding Forsworn operations within the City of Stone.

Though Ja'vassa had just intended to do a little sightseeing, he figured if wanted to see how the Stormcloaks ran the city, he'd have to take part in this little investigation. A local man had given him a few things to look into; the Warrens, the Silver-Blood family, an old native living in the city, and a few other things to keep in mind. The investigation went along rather smoothly, at least that was until he had encountered the corpse of his fellow investigator and a number of Stormcloak soldiers surrounding the fallen Breton. They were in on all of the Forsworn's conspiracy; the clink of coin kept them silent on the matter, with them looking the other way as innocent travelers, likely other Stormcloak supporters, were butchered by those very same barbarians. Though many folks had differing opinions of the Stormcloaks, he had respected them. He knew many of them had a strong sense of honor and dignity, so this came as a surprise to him, and ultimately ruined whatever chance the Stormcloaks had at recruiting him. He had no love for the Imperials, but this might've been what convinced him to join the Empire's side.

Before he would be able to visit Solitude to sign up like planned, he had found himself unfortunately arrested by the guards who had pinned many of the recent murders on him. He was thrown into Cidhna Mine where he'd exhaustedly dig up silver ore for several days, eventually getting fed with being stuck in this awful place, he had snapped; assuming the mantle of the vampire lord, he had used it to slaughter his fellow prisoners, and in this blood lust fueled rage, he uncovered a secret passageway, using it to escape the prison. Once on the other side, rather than being attacked by city guards, he had instead been congratulated by Thonar Silver-Blood for cleaning up the little mess left behind by the King of Rags, and as a reward, he had been officially pardoned and had his gear returned to him. Without any hesitation or even so much as a thank you, he left the city with plans to join with the Imperial Legion.

After arriving Solitude, he was quick to meet with Legate Rikke. Having already known who he was, she immediately enlisted him and would bring him on a trip out to the ruins of Korvanjund to retrieve an ancient artifact. This expedition turned into yet another dungeon crawl for the Dovahkiin. He'd wander around with the Imperials; cut down both Stormcloaks and Draugr collect, collect any gold or gems he found along the way, and as they reached the end of the dungeon, he would collect the Jagged Crown. With the artifact in hand, he had returned to Solitude to present it to General Tullius. With the crown in Imperial control, it was time to get ready for an impending battle in Whiterun. They had received word the Ulfric had plans to attack the central city, yet Whiterun had refused the Legion's support.

In order to try and convince Jarl Balgruuf of the severity of the incoming situation, the General sent Ja'vassa to bring a message to the Jarl of Whiterun. Fortunately for him, Balgruuf was willing to listen to him and with the papers in hand, the Dragonborn received new orders; this time, he'd be sent to Windhelm to deliver an axe to the esteemed Jarl Ulfric. As one would expect, Ulfric had returned the axe and with some rather harsh, disappointed words, he had suggested that Balgruuf should expect some company soon.

Jarl's words rang true, as not even an hour had gone by before Stormcloaks were spotted approaching the outer walls of the city. Desperation shot through many of the warriors that made up the army at Whiterun, especially with the fact that he's grown close to many of the people of the city, particularly that of a young girl named Lucia, someone he promised to adopt once had the resources. He had the home and the wealth, but now with the civil war, that'd have to wait a little longer. With orders from the Legate, he made his way for the frontlines. To ensure the Battle of Whiterun had gone smoothly, he had employed a pair of shouts; the first calling for his dragon lieutenant, Odahviing, and the other summoned the undead dragon he fought back in the Soul Cairn, Durnehviir. The pair of dragons proved to be an overwhelming combination for the opposing army, along with Ja'vassa's own Thu'um and the other Imperial soldiers, defending Whiterun was fairly easy, though it wouldn't be this easy every time.

Following the battle of Whiterun, Ja'vassa would join the legion in taking back Markarth, subsequently taking Dawnstar, Riften, and Winterhold in the process. With nearly all of Skyrim under Imperial control again, all that was left was to take a hold of the rebel capital of WIndhelm. With a few days of final plans being made up, they had begun to march on the snowy capital and swarmed the city. Ja'vassa had made his way directly for the palace, wanting to get this battle done and over with. Swinging and slashing, he cut down any Stormcloaks that got in his way; he had planned to call Odahviing, but given many of the cramped space of Windhelm, he would likely put his allies in danger with the rain of fire, so he simply relied on a few Atronachs to provide back up.

Once arriving in the old palace, he steeled himself for a final showdown with Ulfric and his right hand man. Galmar wasn't too difficult to take down, though Ulfric's voice proved to be an issue. Their Thu'um clashed with each other as did their weapons; sword against axe, though ultimately, Ja'vassa's sorcery had given him the needed upper hand and with a swift, decisive slash of his vampiric blade, the rebel leader had finally fallen. Once again, the Dragonborn had prevailed in his quest. He walked out of the palace, having claimed Ulfric's war axe as his prize. Holding it up over the rising smoke, his fellow Imperial soldiers erupted into joyous cheers, grateful the long struggle was finally over, though this would be far from the end of their worries. Defeating the Stormcloaks merely delayed the second coming of the Thalmor, and the eventual return of the Great War would likely be far deadlier than the last, though for the time being, Ja'vassa decided to return to Whiterun.

Back in the plains' city, he had upheld his promise to Lucia and had adopted her, though despite the love and respect he's earned in Whiterun, he figured it was time to return home and finally deliver the news of Chiara's passing to his family. He had purchased a small carriage and hired a driver to go with it, using it to pack away his more valuable assets like the Dragon Priest Masks he had discovered up to that point, his Elder Scrolls, and whatever else he couldn't leave behind and set off on the roads once more, aiming to reach the Imperial City before nightfall. He had high hopes that perhaps he'd be able to rest in Torval, at least for a while.


	8. Reunited Hearts

A few days had passed since the Dragonborn had left the frozen province en route to his homeland. In the years since he last visited Torval, it seemed little had changed. The most surprising thing for him was the fact that some of the stories of his exploits in Skyrim had reached the ears of his family and many others living in his hometown, as his carriage reached Torval, he had been welcomed back as a hero. He and Lucia were quickly ushered back to the Anair Family home where he was greeted by his parents. He had happily introduced his parents to his adoptive daughter, though that happy tone quickly disappeared as he explained what happened to Chiara. Her final words, where he had buried her, and everything that had happened afterwards. 

Understandably, his surviving family were disappointed to see that only one of them had returned from their journey, but the pride they felt in his recent accomplishments. Having such a legendary hero amidst their fold was an incredible thought for them. After their reunion, Ja'vassa had left Lucia behind with his family to let her get used to them, he had used the alone time to familiarize himself with his hometown once more. During his aimless wandering, he had run into his childhood friend, Armani, someone he had dearly missed during his time up north. Briefly stunned by their unexpected reunion, the two quickly rushed into each other's arms. They had obviously missed the other during their long separation, but that no longer mattered now that they had each other again. 

Prior to Ja'vassa and Chiara leaving Torval all those years ago, the Dragonborn had promised to Armani that someday in the future he would marry her, and this promise of his was one of the first things they had brought up. Though their relationship had been arranged when they were born, it was clear that neither party would object to the arrangement. They had always shared an incredible bond, held a deep and unending love for one another seemingly from the moment they saw each other. Even with the few years apart, that love and affection they held for the other hadn't dissipated in the slightest. Mere hours after their reunion, Ja'vassa had properly proposed to his childhood friend, and without hesitation from Armani, she happily accepted the proposal.

It didn't take long for word to spread across Torval that they had been engaged to the other, though their parents were quietly relieved that they had done so before they had gone through with the arrangement. Fast forward a few months and it would be time for the loving couple to finally marry, deciding to move into the Anair Family Home together. After so many years of unending sorrow and combat, Ja'vassa was finally able to rest and just enjoy the fruits of his struggles. A beautiful home, a sweet child, and a partner he dearly loved. All of the pain and suffering he dealt with in Skyrim was finally paying off, and now, he could finally put it all away, leave it in the past.

Nearly two years into their marriage, they would be blessed with a bundle of kittens; two sons named Fabah and Ri'saad, the latter named after a friend of his during his time in Skyrim along with two daughters, Tsalira and Kisavi. Including the adopted Lucia, that brought them up to five children in total; though overwhelming at first, they quickly settled into their new lives. A few years had gone by again, and they had been living as normally as they could. Occasionally, one of them would leave the home to hunt, gather supplies, and take care of various tasks that needed to be finished. 

Ja'vassa had undertaken their latest hunting trip, leaving for the nearby Tenmar Forest to bag whatever game he could. Unfortunately, as he was gone, a surprise group of violent bandits descended upon the town, torching anything and everything they could, taking anything that sparkled before fleeing. The town guard was completely unprepared for the surprise attack. Homes and businesses were burned to the ground, among these businesses was the Anair Family Home. Having noticed the billowing smoke from where he was in the forest, the Dragonborn panicked; leaving behind the game he had collected and rushed back to his house to try and help wherever he could. Once returning to Torval, he had joined the city guard in slaughtering the attackers, his magic and Thu'um being an overwhelming combination for the savages that raided his hometown.

Though he was instrumental in stopping the attack, disaster had already struck his home. Bandits had torched his home, causing the burning building to collapse over the home's residents. Ri'saad, Kisavi, and Tsalira had managed to escape mostly unharmed, though Armani, Fabah, and Lucia weren't so lucky. By the time the vampire returned home, it was too late to try and heal their injuries or have any final words with the kids. Armani, however, was clinging onto whatever life she had left and was able to share those final words with her dearly beloved. Though he was desperate, it would've been impossible to save his wave; she had been impaled by some of the collapsing debris, and she would've bled out by the time Ja'vassa removed it. The most he could do was just quietly listen to her speak to him.

During the time they had spent together since they married, Armani had expressed interest in learning the dragon language and potentially even learning how to use the Voice. Ja'vassa was more than happy to teach her. She would incorporate these lessons into her final words; "Dii sil los ulse hin." With her final words, the lovers shared one last kiss, holding onto each other's lips for as long as Armani could. Though that last kiss only lasted a few seconds, it was like an eternity to them. After their lips parted ways, the Dragonborn's heart snapped in two, though he had no time to bury her as he needed to find his surviving children. 

He was grateful they had survived, though felt he no longer had a place in Torval. He refused to be in a city that held so many memories. Much like he did in Skyrim, he had packed up a caravan with the things that he needed and set off for the frozen province once more. Though he wasn't sure why he had planned to move back to Skyrim, he just felt it was the right move. He had lost his sister, his wife, and two of his children. His mind and heart weighed heavily with anger and sorrow. Once they reached Skyrim, he would return to his old house in Whiterun, trying his best to push away the memories of the dearly departed to the back of his mind. All that mattered to him was protecting his surviving children, determined to let nothing happen to them.


	9. Champion of Fate

Since returning to Whiterun, Ja'vassa had quietly resumed a normal life, or at least attempted to do so. It was difficult trying to adjust to his life without Armani, though fortunately, he had the support of a few folks of Whiterun. This sense of normalcy was brief, as during a visit to the marketplace ended in yet another conflict. A pair of strange, masked Dunmer had attacked him, proclaiming he was the false Dragonborn living in the shadow of Miraak. The pair of cultists were quickly defeated, with one of them dropping a note as they had fallen. It pointed out that they arrived from Solstheim in search of Ja'vassa with promises of great rewards had they managed to kill him. Fearing what might happen to his surviving children should he just ignore what the note mentioned, he had left them in the care of trustworthy hands in Whiterun to go and investigate the matter in Solstheim.

After arriving on the island, he had discovered most of the citizens had fallen under the effects of a strange spell, seemingly forcing them to work on equally strange structures, though none of them would say much of anything to him, at least not beyond a strange chant. Disturbed and confused, he had met with a Dunmer who was equally confused. After a brief discussion, he had been pointed in the direction of a temple in the center of the island. Hoping to get more information, he had left in search of the location he had described. After arriving, he had found even more people in similar trances, along with a woman actively trying to snap a few of these unfortunate people out of whatever has taken a hold of their mind.

After speaking with her, the two of them delved into the temple, aiming to find whatever secrets were hidden in the ancient ruins. Though the stories of this Miraak painted him to be quite a powerful individual, but to have built such a large, expansive temple was completely unexpected. The ancient ruins made Labyrinthian seem tiny in comparison, and like any other dungeon crawls, there were numerous draugr and skeletons to deal with. After a lengthy trip through the tunnels, they had discovered a strange book, clearly not of Tamrielic origin. It had a strange sense of familiarity for Ja'vassa, prompting him to pick it up. After opening it, he had found himself transported into an even stranger realm, though due to the presence of the temple's namesake, he wouldn't get a chance to explore it. He had been attacked, and due to the suddenness of it, he was brought to his knees almost immediately.

This Miraak claimed to be Dragonborn, much like Ja'vassa was, his use of the Thu'um seemed to prove his claim. After a brief conversation, he was returned to the mortal realm and had explained everything to Frea, soon joining her back to her village. They explained what they found to her father, and upon his suggestion, he had visited Saering's Watch to pick up a Word of Power, using the word to help clear several of the All-Maker Stones in an effort to at least slow down the First Dragonborn's progress. With five of the six restored, many of Solstheim's citizens were able to return to a somewhat normal, if nervous life in their respective habitats. This wouldn't be enough, however.

He later ventured to Tel Mithryn to meet with Neloth, the same Dunmer he met at Raven Rock. It seems he was rather knowledgeable of the Black Book that Ja'vassa uncovered in the temple, and with his help, he would uncover a second book, this time being given a proper greeting into Apocrypha where he'd encounter his Lord, Hermaeus Mora once more. After exploring the realm for a little while, he'd be given a new task from his master along with the second word of the Bend Will shout. In exchange for the third, he'd be requested to collect the 'secrets of the Skaal'. He was hesitant about this; sure, he wasn't exactly an ally of the Skaal yet, but he had grown fairly close to a few of them. He wasn't sure of what secrets they held, but if he wanted to confront Miraak once and for all, he'd need that last Word of Power.

Unsure if it was the right decision, he'd return to the Skaal Village to explain what he needed to do. Though skeptical of Herma-Mora, Storn agreed and would yield up the secrets to their ancient enemy. This would ultimately take the shaman's life, but as Hermaeus Mora promised, he received the final word. With the knowledge in hand, he would return to Apocrypha to prepare for one last showdown with his predecessor. This final quest would require him to put everything he had learned up to that point. His swordsmanship, magic, problem solving skills, all of it. It was exhausting, though he refused to give up. After what seemed to be hours of exploring the endless expanse of the realm, he had reached the Summit of Apocrypha where the First Dragonborn was waiting for him.

They briefly conversed, with Miraak warning him that Hermaeus Mora would betray Ja'vassa just as he betrayed him. After the combatants finished speaking, the battle would begin. Much like the previous expedition that brought him to the Summit, the battle required to make use of everything he had learned up to that point. His Thu'um had to be precise and well timed, his spells and attacks needed to be quick and decisive. In comparison to the others that he dealt with, Miraak was much, much stronger. He boasted thousands of years worth of experience, boasted powerful magic and plenty of powerful shouts.

If not for Ja'vassa's superior speed and agility, he would've struggled mightily. Their blades clashed with great ferocity, shout and spells were launched back and forth, leaving the battlefield a terrible mess. It didn't seem either had the upper hand in the fight, at least not until Ja'vassa would resort to the mantle of the vampire lord, needing the extra power that came with it. His claws and the powerful drain life spell were a useful combination, giving him what he needed to gain his second wind. Slowly, but surely, the First Dragonborn would be weakened, but before the vampire could land the finishing blow, Miraak attempted to escape. Ultimately, it would be futile as he was captured by Hermaeus Mora, impaled by one of his tendrils and slowly drained of his life.

After tossing the corpse aside, Ja'vassa had officially taken his place as Hermaeus Mora's Champion, becoming the Prince's loyal servant for centuries to come. Following the climactic battle, he'd return to Solstheim to inform Frea and later Neloth of the news, returning to the mainland soon after to reunite with his children. It seemed for now, the Dragonborn would finally get some time to rest again. Alduin was defeated, Harkon was defeated, Miraak was defeated, the civil war had ended. For once, he no quests to undertake, no villains to slay. All that was left was to simply love and raise his children.


	10. Viir Nahkriin

A few months had gone by since the climactic battle in Apocrypha, Ja'vassa had properly settled into his role as a single father of three and as a trusted ally of Whiterun. Over these months, he had taken on the role of a merchant, setting up a stall in the city's marketplace selling a variety of magical goods from enchanted armor and weapons to soul gems, scrolls, and spell tomes. Though he wasn't wildly successful, this combined with the wealth he had already accumulated, he was able to produce a fairly comfortable living for his children, and for the first time since his wife had died nearly a decade prior, he had finally felt he was at peace, that he was satisfied with what he had done so far. It might not have been the most ideal for him, but he was happy. His children were safe, he had been able to see and do things that most could only dream of, he had plenty of friends and admirers across the province. Life was great for him.

In an effort to celebrate these little accomplishments, Ja'vassa had taken his children to Solitude to partake in the recently reinstated Burning of King Olaf Festival, believing the festivities and treats would be a great way for the family to relax and celebrate their successes. The festival itself had gone very well, they enjoyed feasting with fellow festival goers, listened to the performances by various bards, and when it was all said and done, they stayed the night at the Winking Skeever, with Ja'vassa quietly considering buying the available house in Solitude. By the next morning, the Khajiit had been sifting through some of the funds he had brought with him while trying to figure out if he'd need to sell anything back in Whiterun. After determining he'd have more than enough to buy the home and furnish it, he had planned to go through with it and would speak Falk Firebeard before they'd leave the city.

Figuring that it likely wouldn't happen until the next day, Ja'vassa and his children merely enjoyed the sights and sounds of the province's capital, interacting with the city's residents along the way. Around the early afternoon, the Dragonborn and his children decided to rest at the Bard's College Amphitheater, though this would prove fatal for young Ri'saad. Since returning to Skyrim, he had been frequently targeted by the Dawnguard whenever he was traveling. Agents regularly ambushed him, though they were never successful in doing much beyond ticking him off. Each of these attacks resulted in an annoyed Dragonborn and the mangled corpses of the fallen vampire hunters. With each attempt failing, the Dawnguard had begun to grow desperate and had devised a plan that would finally take him out once and for all. It was apparent to anyone just how much Ja'vassa's children meant to him; so much as scratch them and they'll be in for a world of trouble.

The plan involved them carefully taking out his children, believing that if they were out of the picture, the Khajiit's spirit would be broken, perhaps to the point where killing him would be as easy as snapping a twig. The group had quietly been stalking him for the past few weeks, following him to Solitude. As they took their break in the Amphitheater, the perfect opportunity presented itself. No one was around the family, and though they didn't have a clear shot of the Dragonborn himself, the children openly playing near the stage were wide open, defenseless. An unnamed agent had locked his crossbow onto Ri'saad. No one in the Dawnguard was particularly interested in murdering a defenseless child, but they had little choice if they wished to take out the vampire lord that betrayed them all those years ago. Hesitating slightly, the agent fired off the weapon, a bolt lodging itself deep within the young Khajiit's neck. The sound of the crossbow echoed through Solitude, prompting shocked onlookers to try and search for the source.

Once again, it seemed despite the Dragonborn's skill in restoration magic and his desperation to save his beloved son, there was nothing he could do. It seemed Ri'saad had died the moment the bolt struck him. Anger and grief flowed through him, the pained scream of his little sister, his wife's final words echoed through his mind. With the help of some onlookers, he left his daughters and the corpse in search of the child's murderer, discovering the agent hiding away in some bushes. Anyone who has heard the stories of the Dragonborn knows just how terrifying an opponent he can be, this agent discovered first hand. With unending wrath, Ja'vassa tore him apart; furiously attacking him with great hatred, and once he was done, the agent's body was nothing more than a smoldering glob of flesh and blood no longer recognizable. Even with his son's murderer gone, Ja'vassa hadn't finished yet. He had plans to pay Fort Dawnguard a visit soon.

Before he'd set off, he had given Ri'saad a proper burial outside the city and had given Falk the funds for Proudspire Manor, asking him to protect Tsalira and Kisavi the best he could. With their new home, he'd head off for the old fortress, nothing but anger and vengeance flowing through his mind. He had lost so much over the past few years despite all that he's done to help people, his heart ached with a deep pain, and though what he was about to do likely wouldn't help, it was the only thing that he could think of.

Once arriving in Dayspring Canyon, his assault had begun. With the help of the Dragon Aspect and Storm Call shouts, reducing this once proud group of vampire hunters wouldn't be difficult. Without a second thought, he proceeded to slaughter every last person that lived within the canyon, it didn't matter to him if they were members of the organization, or if they had anything to do with it. Whether they were innocent civilians or members of the Dawnguard, they were mercilessly cut down, left behind as a bloodied mess. Those who weren't smart enough to flee the canyon were hunted down and butchered like a wild animal.

Soon, he'd arrive at the Fortress itself where many of the Dawnguard's leaders waited for him, but even they would be tossed to the side like nothing. Torn apart, burned, and shocked; one by one, they were killed. All that was left was to kill Isran and then the Dawnguard would be no more. The head of the group proved to be slightly more competent in battle, but it still wasn't enough to avoid the inevitable fate. After Isran had fallen, Ja'vassa mounted his head on a poke, adorning it on the outside of the cavern that separated the Dayspring Canyon from the rest of Skyrim. Even with the massacre in the canyon, he wouldn't be finished until the Fortress itself was nothing more than a pile of rubble. With the aid of Storm Call, and both Durnehviir and Odahviing, the fortress would eventually fall. The smell of blood and smoke polluted the area, with the billowing clouds being visible all the way in Solitude and even beyond the borders of Skyrim.

With the deed finally finished, the Khajiit collapsed a short distance from the ruined fortress. Though he was fully aware of what he was doing, sudden guilt and regret over what he did rushed at him along with the pain and grief he felt over the loss of his son, he remained in the canyon, sobbing and cursing himself. He was no longer sure of where to go next. He was unsure if his children, or anyone else, would even welcome him back into Solitude after what he had done. He remained behind in the canyon for several days, agonizing over the recent events, but eventually figured he'd take a risk and return to the province's capital. His body practically shook with fear as he returned, though much to his surprise, he had been welcomed back with open arms. Though some feared him, their hearts ached for his. Tsalira and Kisavi were quick to find shelter in his arms, deeply concerned for him and upset over the loss of their brother. From that day forward, Ja'vassa vowed to keep them safe, no matter the cost.

After returning home, Ja'vassa had explained to them who he was and why Ri'saad was murdered, explaining why they were after him. The conversation had ended in him bestowing them with the blood of the vampire, passing the mantle of the vampire lord onto them. He feared losing his daughters like the others, believing that if they shared his undead blood, they would be safe from anything that came after them in the future, though Ja'vassa wasn't quite sure where to go from here. He may have been the Champion of Fate, but even he couldn't anticipate what would come next.


	11. Founding of Sjel Blad

Nearly three years following the massacre in the Dayspring Canyon, Ja'vassa had left on an intermittent journeys; occasionally leaving Solitude to do a bit of a self search, trying to figure out who or what he was supposed to be, what his destiny was now that it seemed there were no other quests or villains for him to slay. No apocalyptic dragons, no crazed vampires, no power-mad Dragonborn, nothing. He had power, wealth, loving children, and influence, and yet, his life felt empty. For once, he had path, no direction, nothing. He felt that he was at the end of the road, but yet, he wasn't ready to just stop. In an effort to start looking deeper into himself, to try and get some insight on his destiny, he had begun to closely follow the Way of the Voice.

He would occasionally visit the Greybeards and Paarthurnax, meditating with them and learning more about how to hone his Voice. This intense study and devotion to his Thu'um had granted him something unique. Occasionally, as he was lost in his meditation, the voice of a disembodied woman would speak to him. At first, he was confused and concerned, but when it seemed the voice was trying to help him, he began to seek it out. Days went by and the voice progressively got stronger, and it eventually became clear that the one speaking to him was the same voice that originally gave men the Thu'um; the goddess of the storm, Kyne. Though he was unsure of why she contacted him, he knew that this might have been what he's been looking for.

As he continued to meditate and study the Voice, he'd receive various messages from Kyne, eventually being told to visit the old library in High Hrothgar and meditate at her shrine there, that way his Voice would continue to grow. For the next couple of weeks, he'd spend a great deal of time in the library, devoted to his meditation. This devotion to the Voice had unlocked a variety of perks, including a number of alternative meanings to Words of Power he knew, granting unique, powerful shouts. Perhaps more importantly, this journey of meditation had given him the insight he had been desperately searching for; he had found a new purpose in his everlasting life. Alduin may no longer be threatening the province, but there was another organization that perhaps provided a much bigger threat; the elven supremacists of the Aldmeri Dominion. It was time he and the rest of the Empire began to prepare for the return of the Great War.

Before he'd return to Solitude, Ja'vassa remained in the library to write out a few plans, including one that involved the construction of a massive fortress he'd use as his base of operations, placing it near High Hrothgar so he'd remain close to his mentors. Once he had everything written down, he'd take these plans to Castle Dour and discuss them with General Tullius, much to his surprise, the General seemed rather receptive of them. He had seen what Ja'vassa did during the Civil War; he'd make for a useful soldier in the inevitable return of the Great War. However, Tullius wasn't the one in charge of handing out the land grants in Skyrim, that fell upon the High Queen and on the Jarl of Whiterun.

Over the course of the next few days, Tullius and Ja'vassa would set up a meeting between them, High Queen Elisif, Jarl Balgruuf, and more surprisingly, the Emperor. Not only did they want to listen to his proposal, but they had also wanted to discuss options regarding the paths to take against the Thalmor when the war finally makes its reappearance. After a few hours, they had wrapped up their discussions with Ja'vassa being granted the land he planned to use for the fortress, in exchange; he'd give the Empire his loyalty until the Thalmor have been dealt with, will be required to pay all of the expenses himself, and lastly, he'd be required to help the Empire regrow once the war was finished, with their goals being the reabsorption of Hammerfell and Black Marsh.

With his plans having been approved, the Khajiit had gotten right to work. First things first was to begin hiring various miners and builders to get the foundation of what would become known as Sjel Blad. In order to keep up the proper funding for it, Ja'vassa had turned to a number of options, having discovered a number of rare artifacts to get the gold. He had uncovered the armor of Haknir Death-Brand and managed to collect the treasure the infamous pirate left behind, took up various jobs like that of mining and smithing, and had continued to work with his market stall in Solitude.

It would take nearly 60 full years for Sjel Blad to be constructed, and during this time, Ja'vassa had worked closely with the College of Winterhold to produce specialized magics that would exclusively be used around the Fortress; producing various Waygates, brand new recall and teleport spells, along with a void storage, something completely unique to the castle. The latter would allow them to store and collect any number of items from anywhere in Tamriel, regardless of how far they'd be from the castle.

While the magic was impressive, no castle was complete without servants and guards. Mere weeks before construction would finish, Ja'vassa would use the last of the necessary funds to begin hiring various workers; he needed people to work the kitchens, he'd need alchemists, enchanters, scribes, smiths, and so much more, in addition to the workers, he'd need to hire plenty of guards to help ensure the castle was safe. Even with all the hires, it still wouldn't be close to finished; like he had promised the others back at the meeting, he would need an army under him. So, as the castle quickly approached completion, Ja'vassa had undertaken a rather lengthy quest to try and recruit as many people as he could, regardless of how experienced they were. He'd be more than willing to personally train these soldiers in order to ensure they'd be ready when the war begins.

Once the castle's construction had been completed, Ja'vassa and his children had moved in, proud of their new home. From that day forward, the Dragonborn had settled into his role as one of the Empire's war leaders. Whenever he wasn't busy with his children or training new recruits, he'd often be found in his quarters, experimenting with new forms of magic. When the time came, he wanted to be sure that he'd come out on top, and in order to ensure this, he aimed to continue to create various spells and magics not seen anywhere else in Tamriel.


	12. The Hidden Sanctuary

Though Ja'vassa's top priority was to plan and prepare for the incoming war, he regularly found the time to leave Sjel Blad to undertake various expeditions across Skyrim, aiming to discover powerful relics and to consolidate power back at the castle, this was to ensure that his army would have more than enough power to fight back against their enemies. Whether these were Daedric artifacts, ancient dwarven weapons, or something else entirely didn't matter to the Dragonborn. Among these various expeditions, he had noticed something unusual in the plains of Whiterun. He had walked past the Sleeping Tree Camp numerous times and had frequently harvested the sap from the namesake tree, despite that, his latest walk down the road had revealed something rather peculiar to him.

A strange... light hovered over an equally strange platform. He's wandered the path hundreds of times, so surely he would've noticed the orange light before. Maybe it had been buried and the recent rains had managed to uncover it. His curiosity was grabbed, prompting him to investigate the strange platform, though as he got to close, a mysterious force had launched him away. This did little to ward off his curiosity, instead just making him more interested in it. This prompted him to take a moment to search around the camp, looking to see if he could find any clues. His aimless wandering led him to trip over an unexpected corpse, potentially who was doing the same thing he was. He discovered a note, suggesting that he take a look in the cave nearby. Though he felt there was something odd about it, his curiosity wound up getting the better of his common sense.

He entered the cave, only to find a lone giant crafting some new clubs. The beast either hadn't cared or noticed the Khajiit, as Ja'vassa was able to snoop around as he pleased. He hadn't found anything worth noting, at least beyond some mammoth cheese and a few septims strewn about the cave. Before he had left the cave, he had a strange feeling about something, like something was waiting for him on the outside. He drew his sword and carefully left the cavern, only to be assaulted by a group of large wolves and an unusually tall giant. Taking out the wolves wasn't too difficult, but the giant was another problem altogether.

Fortunately for him, though the giant's strength was terrifying, it was as slow and clumsy as any normal giant. The Khajiit took advantage of it, employing a hit and run strategy until it had finally fallen. Once the giant had been killed off, he had recovered a strange key, a book, and several vials of the sleeping tree sap. He had taken a little while to study the book, hoping to get some information about what he had found. According to the book, the key he had recovered was required to stand on the strange platform, and he'd need to drink the tree sap to properly activate it. Understandably hesitant, he had done as the book suggested; drinking the sap once he was on the platform. Greenish colored lights surrounded him and after a few moments, he had begun to rise up in the air, soon being enveloped in a bright white light. He soon found himself high up in the air, wandering strange floating islands.

Subconsciously, he quietly wondered if this was nothing more than the results of a hallucination brought upon from the sap, he had simply lounged about some stone benches as he tried to process what happened. Once it was clear that he wasn't just on a wild trip and that everything was indeed real, he had begun to explore it. The idea of this hidden sanctuary high above the clouds was a wondrous thought, and if anything went wrong during the war effort, he'd have a place to recover, far from the cares of the world. His exploration led him to a surprisingly expansive cave, filled to the brim with numerous ore veins; ebony, iron, gold, moonstone, and so many others, but of course, it had a slight problem. Like many Dwarven structures, the floating isle was home to a number of angry Falmer, prompting him to do battle with the devolved elves.

After they were destroyed, a strange red light had caught his eyes; deep below the mine's lake. With the use of some magic, he had swam towards the bottom of it, picking up what he could only assume to be a centurion core. This either met there was a centurion somewhere waiting for him, or that it had been destroyed and something else was waiting for him. With the inner mines cleared of Falmer, he proceeded to enter the main part of the island, with it becoming known to him as the Sleeping Tree Sanctuary. Every bit of the sanctuary was an incredible sight for him; boasting stations and rooms for everything he would need. Alchemy, enchanting, smithing, and cooking stations; plenty of storage room for excess items, beds, and plenty of room to store weaponry, armor, and to simply relax. What's more impressive was a mysterious airship docked at the Sanctuary. With some books scattered about the Sanctuary and a mysterious cube he had discovered, it was clear the core he had discovered earlier was connected to the mysterious ship.

With a bit of tinkering and help from the books he had collected, he managed to power up the airship once more. With some further help from the book, he was able to calibrate it with new locations for it to travel to. He had set the towers outside his quarters at Sjel Blad as another location to visit, using it as a test flight. His face shone with excitement, like that of a little kid in a candy store. Once arriving at Sjel Blad, the ship was met with very wary guards, fearing that this might've been something from the Thalmor, but fortunately for them, Ja'vassa quickly revealed himself. After explaining what he had discovered, he would designate the Sanctuary as an emergency location; being somewhere he could use should Sjel Blad Castle fall in the future.


	13. Disaster at Woodhearth

Following the discovery of the Sleeping Tree Sanctuary, Ja'vassa had returned to planning out the war; he and the recently formed Inner Council had begun to make up their final preparations for the war. They aimed to march upon the border of Valenwood, with their first target being the city of Arenthia. The Imperial Legion planned to march upon Elsweyr while Ja'vassa's army focused on Valenwood with plans to regroup following successful takeovers of Haven and Torval respectively, from there, it'd be time to set sail for the city of Dusk in the Summerset Isle. It wasn't clear how long the war effort would take, but it would likely be a long while before he'd see the tundras of Skyrim again.

Their first order of business was to drive the Dominion out of Cyrodiil, pushing them out of the various Imperial cities they've sacked and occupied. Their first stop was Bruma, then Chorrol, before wrapping things up in Kvatch; the initial part of the campaign only lasted a few short weeks, each of these battles resulting in immense successes for the Dragonborn's army. Both his and the Empire's army would briefly converge in Skingrad to drive the Dominion before saying their farewells once more. Following the successful liberation of Skingrad, the armies separated. The Imperial Legion left for Riverhold while his group left for Arenthia.

After crossing the border, their plans remained the same. Before they'd reunite near the southern borders, they aimed to take each of the province's ports and by doing so, they intended to set up blockades, hoping to effectively cut off trade and communication between Valenwood and the Summerset Isle. For the most part, their conquest of the Bosmeri province went along smoothly; they were successful in taking Arenthia, Falinesti, Silvenar, and even the province's capital in Elden Root within just a few short months. The Empire's progress was notably slower, but they had managed to take the northern half of Elsweyr thus far.

With the Bosmeri capital under their control, they had marched on for Woodhearth. Not long after arriving in the western city, their fortunes had quickly changed. The Thalmor had been waiting for them there, though unlike the other cities, the Dominion seemed to be far more prepared than before. They heavily concentrated on fire magic and on spells that were specifically designed to harm the undead. Though Ja'vassa wasn't ashamed of his vampirism, he had taken special care to ensure that his affliction was kept secret; only a handful of people knew about it; only his daughters and his Inner Council were aware of the vampirism. It seemed that someone on the other side had great perception or that somehow it had been leaked, especially seeing as the Dominion soldiers concentrated most of their attacks on the Dragonborn himself. If he were to fall, then surely the rest of the armor should be easy to deal with.

Even with Odahviing and Durnehviir, and his plethora of shouts and spells, he was overwhelmed with the fire and sunlight used against him, slowly weakening him as the battle went on. He stubbornly fought on, refusing to back down just yet. They've come so far, he couldn't afford to give up yet. As the struggle went on, he continued to get weaker and weaker, the fire and sunlight taking their toll against him. As it seemed they were about ready to kill the Dragonborn once and for all, several of his allies stepped up in his defense, urging him to flee the battlefield, to live on and fight another day. Though he knew they had his best interests in mind, fleeing from the scene went against everything he had learned, against every single instinct of his. He relented and after much convincing from his allies, he had used one of the recall spells and returned to the safety of Sjel Blad Castle, though the overwhelming guilt and shame he felt for leaving his allies, and for leaving the battlefield a disgrace and for leaving his allies behind to fight the war.

No longer feeling worthy to hold the throne of Sjel Blad, he had written out a note, leaving the castle to the head of his Inner Council, a Dunmer named Relumara, someone Ja'vassa had shared a strong friendship with for many years. He trusted him to keep things running smoothly should he and the rest of his army return to the castle in one piece. After gathering a few of his things, he briefly made his way to the forge and had crafted a pair of spears he called the Oathkeeper. He kept one for himself and the other, he made for the dark elf. This was his way of promising that he'd one day return to help wipe out the Dominion, if they haven't already done so by the time he comes back. With the spears forged and enchanted, he had left them behind at the council table for Relumara to find.

With a final gathering of his things and one last look back at the castle he worked so hard to protect, he stepped aboard the Dwarven airship docked at his quarters and would make his way for the Sleeping Tree Sanctuary where he'd go into hiding, unsure of what he'd do for the time being. He never knew if his army was successful in capturing Woodhearth that night or what would happen to his allies if they had been defeated. He would never know if his daughters had been safe or the Thalmor had managed to sack the castle itself, but for now, it didn't seem that'd matter anymore. Until it was time for him to return, he'd simply meditate on the Voice, study and practice new spells, hoping that when he returned, no army would be able to stand in his way again, regardless of what they used against him.


	14. The Hidden Castle

For the first few years following his defeat at Woodhearth, Ja'vassa largely remained confined to the safety of the skybound sanctuary, continuing his meditation and devoted study to the arcane arts. Occasionally, he'd descend to the surface to hunt for food and gather various herbs and plants for both culinary and alchemical purposes. Though he longed to see his loved ones back at Sjel Blad once again, he wouldn't step foot on the castle grounds, fearing he'd put his former allies in danger should he make his presence known. It hurt him greatly, but he figured this was for the better. He'd return someday in the future, but that day hadn't arrived quite yet.

During one of his recent hunting trips in the Reach, he had been attacked by a strange man, mumbling incoherently about... something. All he could make out was something about his attacker's sister and some strange cave. Fortunately for him, the crazed attacker wasn't too hard to deal with; once he fell, Ja'vassa had discovered a note on the stranger's body. The note seemed to point out a cave near the border of Morrowind and his sister being trapped inside, though the rest of it appeared to be nothing more than the ramblings of a drunk. Curious and slightly concerned, the Dragonborn decided to investigate this mysterious cave.

Before he set off for this adventure, he returned to the Sanctuary to properly equip himself for whatever awaited him. Whether this cave actually existed or if this was just nothing more than a clever trap waiting for him, he wanted to be sure he was ready to defend himself. Once he had everything together, he set off for the Velothi Mountains. A few hours had passed since he left, and much to his surprise, the cave that the note had mentioned was there. Against his better judgment, Ja'vassa had entered the cave, though this would be a huge mistake on his part. Mere seconds after he entered, a small tremor rumbled through the cave, causing parts of it to collapse; trapping him inside. While he could've used one of his recall spells to escape and return to Sjel Blad for the first time in years, he was still afraid of putting the residents in danger, so he pressed on, aiming to find an exit on the other side. He figured that there just had to be an opening on the other side of the border.

The tunnels caving in on him was only the beginning of his troubles; not long after he entered, he had encountered a strange, spectral woman that chilled him to his core. He's seen plenty of terrifying things in life, yet this strange woman petrified him, causing him to freeze in pure terror for several moments. Once he managed to regain his composure, even if it was difficult to remain calm, he pressed forward. Bending around the corner, only to find the ghostly apparition to have disappeared. His hand shakily rested upon the hilt of his vampiric sword just in case something else had popped up. He ventured further into the cave, encountering the woman several more times until the latest encounter caused him to completely lock up, staring face to face with the ghost. A strange wailing sound echoed through the tunnels as she approached him, his heart pounded, fearful tears threatened to slide down his cheeks.

A brilliant flash of light enveloped as she touched him and within the next moment, she was gone, with nothing but unexplained skeletons behind him. In a panic, he had resorted to using those recall spells, but they had been completely ineffective, nothing but a waste of magicka. This only deepened his panic, causing him to swiftly move through the tunnels, looking for any and all exits, just something for him to get out of the cave. To make matters worse, the spirit seemed to be chasing him the further he explored the tunnels, only adding to the immense fear he felt. His magic was useless against it, his sword ineffective, he couldn't do anything besides run. Fortunately for him, he eventually managed to escape the cave and seemingly, the woman as well. Never before had he been so happy to see the sun in all his years, though his problems were still far from over. He was no longer in the cave, but it didn't seem he had reached Skyrim or Morrowind quite yet, rather he seemed to be stuck in some unknown valley.

Hoping to find some help, he ventured down the road, only to be met with some strange... automaton. Rather than trying to kill him, it inquired as to where he came from and offered to help him, leading him to a large castle near the end of the valley. Amazed and slightly nervous, he kept his hand on his weapon. This automaton, introducing himself as Lahar, was just as surprised to see Ja'vassa, as it had been centuries since their last visitor and he was positive that the caves on both sides of the valley had long since collapsed. Lahar suggested he should speak with his companion, Lamashtu to see if it would be possible for him to return to Skyrim. Unfortunately, it would seem that wouldn't be possible, as the recent tremors had disrupted the castle's steam supply and left their Travel Machine dysfunctional. She suggested he could fix it, if he were familiar with Dwarven smithing and forging, though he'd have to fight through hordes of their brethren.

Ja'vassa was nothing if not stubborn, so he ended traveling down to the Clockwork Mausoleum to try and fix the ruptured pipes. Fixing these pipes would be the easy parts, as his knowledge of Dwemer metal and some handy books left around gave him all that he would need to do so, but crawling around the expansive Dwemer ruin and fighting off their undying brethren made it far more difficult for him. Still, he was eventually successful in this and with his efforts, he was able to get the castle back up to full power, but this still wouldn't be enough. Even with the restored steam, the Travel Machine remained inoperable, for him at least. Lahar was able to travel through it, as he was able to purchase some fresh food for Ja'vassa while he was busy in the Mausoleum.

Unsure of what was going on, the pair had gone to speak to Lamashtu, only to find her in an unresponsive state. This would send Ja'vassa on yet another trek below Clockwork Castle, this time to find another one of the Gilded, this time being a massive hunk of metal known as Amalgam. Reaching the strange machine was the easy part, but compared to the others, he was a much stronger fighter, being able to match up with Ja'vassa's skills. Though, this was most likely due to the Khajiit's silent panic; this fear clouded his judgement. Fortunately, he was able to defeat the metallic beast and retrieve what Lamashtu would need to return to normal. After returning to Lahar, the two of them would work on repairing their fallen comrade. Once she had awoken, she was able to explain why the Travel Machine wouldn't work for Ja'vassa and was able to shed some light on the strange phantom that followed him through the tunnels.

This phantom, what she called her Shadow, was a part of her, something she had long forgotten about herself. Though she didn't understand why, she could see just how desperate he was to return home, so she'd join him on one final descent into the Mausoleum to try and reunite her with her Shadow. It turned into another dungeon crawl for Ja'vassa; explore the ruins, fight the bad guys, and eventually find what they were looking for. The Shadow wasn't easy to track down, her wails and random disappearances made her a tricky opponent, but in the end, they were able to successfully return her to Lamashtu, and with that out of the way, they'd return to the castle. With silent relief, Ja'vassa had approached the Travel Machine, though before he left, he took one last look around the castle. While the recent experiences were rather unsettling, he felt the quiet, isolated location of Clockwork would be perfect for him. The Travel Machine gave him perfect opportunities to visit the province without raising much suspicion. Taking up Lamashtu's offer of making Clockwork his new home, he'd do just that, but before he'd properly settle down, he'd return to the Sleeping Tree Sanctuary.

Back at his skybound sanctuary, he decided that it'd be an emergency home, just in case someone discovered Clockwork. Much like he did with Sjel Blad, he had calibrated the airship to dock at his new home. With the proper calibrations and some rearranging of his things, he had properly settled into the Clockwork Castle, though he grew awfully lonely; the castle had so much room, so many beds and tables, yet no one to share them with. It was a depressing thought, but he'd worry about filling up these empty rooms another time, for now, he would return to his research and meditations.


	15. A Khajiit's Hidden Adventures

During the years following his acquisition of Clockwork Castle, Ja'vassa frequently spent much of his time holed up in the castle's library, studying and practicing new forms of magic. Considering his connection to Hermaeus Mora, creating these new, powerful spells wasn't too difficult for him; the forbidden knowledge of Apocrypha provided him with the perfect tools to do so. These spells started out small and simple; being nothing more than basic fire, shock, and frost spells, but as the years went by, the complexity and power behind the spells slowly intensified. He began to experiment with other elements along the way, including that of earth, blood, water, wind, and poison, hoping that this variety in what he can do would give him an edge of unpredictability against anyone he fights, regardless of who he comes across. Whether this be the Thalmor, some unfortunate bandits, or someone else entirely didn't matter.

As his spell creation continued, he had used everything he had learned since he was young, combining that with the endless resources that Apocrypha offered him, these spells were progressively getting stronger. A major breakthrough for him was when he had created spells that fired off deadly blasts of pure magicka, seemingly with him channeling energy directly from Aetherius itself. He had described them as 'cosmic spells', unlike many of the elements he had experimented with previously, it didn't appear any of his victims had any resistances towards it, though these cosmic spells weren't nearly as damaging as the other spells, they provided him with a bit more utility than most of his destruction spells. Even with these powerful new options, he wouldn't stop there.

Destruction was his forte, though he'd be sure not to neglect the other schools of magic. He had devised an element of restoration magic that he'd simply call divinity magic. Like most spells in that school, these spells focused on healing others and warding away the undead, but to a much greater degree. He still wasn't done, even with these advancements. He began to experiment with ways to combine the schools of magic, trying to create destruction spells that wouldn't only destroy his enemies, but heal his loved ones, to create restoration spells that offered more benefits than to just restore the user's health, to create Alteration magic that would allow him to manipulate the very land itself, to create Conjuration magic that'd allow him to pull more powerful, previously unknown daedra to fight at his side, and to create Illusion magic that gave him greater control of the minds around him.

Of course, Ja'vassa hadn't forgotten about enchanting either. With the near limitless resources in the surrounding mountains and a large number of soul gems, he was able to create a number of powerful, unique enchantments known only to him. Some enchantments were used to endlessly burn his opponents, some stole an opponent's charge, some enchantments would heal any and all allies in the vicinity. All of these new advancements would be instrumental in his eventual return. In fact, for the vast majority of the century he had been in that self imposed exile had been spent perfecting his arcane arts. Combined with some of the new shouts he had learned thanks to his meditations, he was almost ready to make his return to Skyrim.

Despite that, he was unsure whether or not he should return. He fled the battlefield a disgrace, and likely due to this cowardice, even if he was pushed to it, that many of his allies had been slaughtered or imprisoned by the Thalmor, and considering it's been nearly a century since the disaster at Woodhearth, many of the potential survivors were likely long dead. His apprentices, his daughters, his Inner Council, the people he had loved and cared for, the folks that helped him grow as a warrior. It was an inevitable reality, but not one he wanted to face. With the uncertainty, he would remain behind in Clockwork Castle for a while longer.

He decided that, while he wasn't quite ready to return to Sjel Blad, he figured another self searching journey would be a good idea. Like he did all those years ago that led to the founding of his old castle. He had failed in the war, the path Kyne initially set him on, so he started to wonder if his destiny led elsewhere. He wasn't sure where it would lead, but that was the point of this upcoming journey. His first destination would be to visit Sky Haven Temple, he had hoped that perhaps studying the old inscriptions of the ancient Akaviri temple would provide him with some help.

After arriving at the ancient temple, he had approached Alduin's Wall, just to see if there was anything to be revealed that he hadn't noticed on previous visits. Though the wall hadn't provided him with anything new, he had discovered a previously unseen door that had led to a hidden armory. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him, but it didn't matter. This armory led him to discover a number of Akaviri weapons, armor, and even just some more casual clothing from the eastern continent. Without much hesitation on his part, he had stored away this discovery in a specialized version of the void storage spells used around Sjel Blad Castle. With the Deep Storage spell, he had cleaned out the chests that laid about the hidden armory, though even after cleaning out the armory, he wasn't finished quite yet. He continued to snoop around the old fortress, eventually discovering a number of old books, a map, and a key.

The books gave him the know-how of how to forge in the Akaviri style of crafting, while the map had pointed out the location of another fortress near the border of Cyrodiil. It might not have been the map to Akavir itself, but this was still a hopeful discovery for him. Perhaps this other fortress held exactly what he was looking for; maybe it held a map to the missing continent. Even if it didn't, it'd be worth visiting the old ruins regardless. The trip out to the southern ruins went about smoothly, and once he was there, it had turned into another typical dungeon crawl for him. He entered the ancient fortress, wandered about, fought with the various monsters that inhabited it, and eventually, he had discovered the treasure of the ruins; a blade and armor that had appeared to have been crafted specifically for the Dragonborn. Whether they had him in mind or some other Dragonborn was unknown, but it seemed the armor was a perfect fit for him.

With the new armor, he had left the Halls of the Akaviri, jotting them down as a potential base for when he decides to re-enter the battlefield. Though this discovery was satisfying to him, he wasn't quite ready to return to Sjel Blad Castle. He would return to Clockwork, practicing the Akaviri style of crafting; designing a number of blades, polearms, and numerous sets of armor, each set getting progressively better. Satisfied with the results, he'd return to his usual studies. Though he hadn't discovered the map he was hoping for, he'd put his studies on the Akaviri to the side, instead returning his focus on his research into the Dragon Cult. Prior to his self imposed exile, he had done well in his search for the ancient Dragon Priests, having been successful in collecting the masks of the Priests that resided in Skyrim and of the ones that resided in Solstheim, even discovering a unique mask that was hidden in Labyrinthian.

This eventually brought up the question as to just where in Skyrim that these masks were forged. For the next few months, he would often be found in the Clockwork library, marking out the locations where he had initially discovered the Masks, cross referencing this with the names of locations mentioned in the ancient texts he's discovered, eventually pinpointing a possible location in the Eastmarch hold. Like he would with any other expedition, he got himself equipped for the coming expedition.

His search led him to a small mountain range just north of Windhelm with him eventually discovering a hidden door near the peak of one of these mountains. Believing he had discovered this ancient Dragon Forge, or at least that's what he called it, he entered the hidden ruins and began his exploration. Unlike most Nordic ruins, these ruins were almost eerily empty. No draugr to defend the loot within. He had uncovered a strange mask, similar to the other masks he had collected; though he put it on, he found himself transported... somewhere. It seemed he was still in the ruins, the only difference was that everything still seemed to be in one piece. Nothing was crumbling, broken down, or littered with dust and cobwebs, yet it still seemed empty. No draugr, no ancient Nords, nothing. With a bit of digging around, he had discovered some old books, with them referring to the ruins as 'Revakheim', indeed pointing out that these ruins were the birthplace of many of the Dragon Priest Masks, and seemed to indicate a more important treasure deeper within.

Like he did in the Akaviri fortress, he had taken any valuables and stored it away with the Deep Storage spell. After he exited the room, he would be returned to his own timeline. Intrigued by this, he ventured further into the ruins, entering another room that had sent him back in time once again. The second time led him to uncovering this mysterious Dragon Forge. Amazed by what he had found, and with some of the recipes he had read in the book he discovered earlier, he had crafted a few masks, along with matching robes, gloves, and boots; specifically, he crafted a set made of Stalhrim, though with the excess material, he remained behind. He wanted to eventually return to Sjel Blad Castle, so he thought it'd be nice if he were to craft sets for the reigning Inner Council and lord of the castle. It took a few hours, but he'd eventually be successful in this; setting the extras away in the Deep Storage.

Once he was finished in the forge, he pressed on further, discovering a set of robes locked behind immovable iron bars. No matter how far he reached, he couldn't even touch the robes. With a bit of searching, he noticed a pedestal that seemed to be the perfect fit for some of the masks he carried. He outfitted it with each of them, with each of these masks failing to open the cage, until finally, the Konahrik mask he had discovered was successful in doing so. Feeling compelled to do so, he had put on the robes he recently collected. In doing so, he started a chain reaction. A nearby wall resonated with him, seemingly calling to him. Much like when he first discovered that he was Dragonborn, a few words called out to him, prompting him to use the Unrelenting Force shout on it.

The shout opened up a brand new series of tunnels to explore, leading him to discover a matching set of boots and gloves, and perhaps more importantly, he discovered that special treasure in Revakheim, an Elder Scroll. Before he was able to collect it, he'd have to fight off the scroll's guardian, a powerful dragon. Ja'vassa's had many centuries of dragon slaying experience, so one more would be too much of an issue. After it had been cut down and had its soul devoured by the Dragonborn, he had claimed the Scroll and would return to his own timeline to read it. The scroll granted him a new ability, something that gave him a better perception of time, allowing him to read the moves of his opponents before they hit him. Though he's now taken the mantle of the Warlord for himself, he still wasn't ready to return to Sjel Blad. His return was inevitable, but a small part of him feared what might happen; he worried that his return to the fray would result in the same thing that got him exiled nearly a century ago.


	16. Moon and Star

In the months following his recent expeditions, Ja'vassa was preparing to finally make his return to Sjel Blad, though instead of simply using the recall spells to teleport there, he instead simply decided to walk from where Clockwork's travel machine dropped him off; just beneath the bridge that connected Winterhold to the Mage's College. He figured that perhaps the long walk between the two locations would give him more than enough time to think about what he would say to whoever's ruling over Sjel Blad; whether that be someone he knew, like that or Relumara, a new ruler, though he was fairly nervous of the potential that the Thalmor might've taken it over.

Regardless of what the situation at Sjel Blad was like, he'd have to face it eventually. After a few hours, he had arrived in Riverwood, taking some time to get a quick meal and drink in at the Sleeping Giant Inn. As he ate, his eyes scanned the area, some old memories flooded his mind; the inn hadn't changed all that much since the day he had first met Delphine all those years ago. He was lost in nostalgia, his mind wandering to where it had all begun. The death of his sister, Alduin stopping his execution, him discovering the Dragon Blood on him, everything that led to his visit on this very day. It's been a long, fulfilling life. He's seen a lot of things, more than most people have.

Before he could get too lost in the daydreams, he had returned to reality thanks to the sudden voice of a dark elf that seemed to recognize who he was, though remained quiet. According to the elf, a powerful criminal from Morrowind had been spotted in the frozen province, and he had been tasked with tracking down powerful mercenaries that might be able to bring this criminal to justice. Though many have failed, the Dunmer was positive that perhaps the Dragonborn would be enough to finish this mysterious criminal off. He had given Ja'vassa a specially enchanted ring and had offered him a generous gold reward should be successful. Before the Khajiit left, he mentioned a village known as Little Vivec in Falkreath hold, believing that might be able to point him in the direction of the villain.

With the information in mind, he had set off for the tiny village. After arriving, he had spoken with several of the locals, though before he was able to get the information he needed, they had requested he help them with a bandit problem they've been having. Seeing there was little choice in the matter, he headed off to see what he could do. Rather than arriving at the camp and receiving a volley of arrows like he had grown accustomed to, he instead came across a massacre. Each and every bandit that resided on the campgrounds had been slaughtered, though what was strange was that their coin purses were completely intact, the chests and strongboxes around the area still held their loot, beyond the rotting corpses, everything seemed to be pretty normal.

With the surprising sight in mind, Ja'vassa had returned to inform them of the news. Though he hadn't been responsible for slaying the bandits, they had told him the necessary information regardless, grateful that he at least attempted to do them a service. They pointed out some old dwarven ruins near the Morrowind border known as Kagrenar, though they weren't sure why he would be interested in the ruins. They pleaded with Ja'vassa to try and think before he did anything rash, they didn't wish to see this criminal's blood stain Skyrim's soil. He nodded towards them, heading out to the ruins, thinking about the information he's been given since then. One party told him that this mysterious wanderer was a dangerous criminal that needed to be dealt with, while the other party seemed to revere him as a great hero. He wasn't sure what to think, so he decided that before he'd make any decision on whether he lives or dies, he'd need to meet with this criminal himself.

After arriving at the Dwemer ruins, he had to undertake a few basic puzzles that would lead to him fighting a number of automatons, starting with the spiders, then spheres, and then finally a centurion. After passing each of these trials, he'd venture further into the ruins, soon encountering this mysterious criminal. Even before laying his eyes on him, Ja'vassa could practically feel the power eminating from him. The two shared a brief moment of silence, staring at each other. The criminal had spoken up first, revealing that he knew full well who the Khajiit was, soon introducing himself as the Nerevarine, the hero that had saved Morrowind centuries prior. The revelation was shocking to him, the idea that this noble hero was labeled as some ruthless criminal was almost offensive. Ja'vassa was understandably surprised, though that surprise turned to anger after realizing his employer neglected to tell him who he was really after.

Shaking it off, he had learned the Nerevarine was there to deal with some legendary golem that could potentially the province. Though Ja'vassa's initial reasons for arriving was to kill this man, after he realized who he was and what he was after, he had instead offered to lend his sword to the Dunmer's aid. Grateful for the help, the pair ventured further into the ruins, soon encountering a massive centurion that seemed to be as large as a mountain. Fortunately, like many other centurions, it was strong, but very slow. Both heroes were able to avoid incoming attacks with ease, however, it seemed none of their attacks were effective either. Their swords and magic simply bounced off their opponent.

Unsure of what to do, Ja'vassa scanned the battlefield, noticing that strange beams seemed to energize the centurion, this prompted him to attack the sources of those beams, trying to destroy them. With a combination of his blade and powerful magics, he had been able to destroy one of them, doing the same thing to the other sources, destroying them in the process. It seemed that once they had been destroyed, the pair of heroes were able to finally damage the centurion. They were able to overwhelm the machine with a combination of their magic and swordsmanship, they were finally able to take it down.

With the machine finally taken down, the pair rested and shared some final words. The Nerevarine had given him a special greatsword and some advice before they parted ways. The encouraging words seemed to be enough to snap him out of the fears he had, being just what he'd need to return to Sjel Blad Castle. After the two parted ways, Ja'vassa returned to Clockwork briefly. There were still some worries, but nothing would ever change; things would only get worse for him the longer he held this off. He took a few days to prepare himself for whatever would come; deciding to wear the Konahrik set of armor he had discovered a while back, though he would wait to put the mask on until he arrived at the old fortress. He stood at the end of the bridge, nervously standing outside the gates of Sjel Blad. His daughters, his Inner Council, his apprentices. He was all too afraid to see who, if any of them, remained there.


	17. The Dragonborn's Return

After briefly standing outside the gate, the Khajiit approached it and was quickly met with one of Sjel Blad's guards, questioning what he was doing. So far, it seemed that the castle had avoided Aldmeri influence, so perhaps that was a good sign. He explained to the guard who he was and what his intentions were, though understandably, the guard was skeptical. Before he'd be let in, the guard he had spoken with headed off to meet with the castle's reigning lord, explaining the situation. The news of the Dragonborn's potential return was shocking and it quickly spread around the castle, prompting the lord to practically rush to the door. Much to Ja'vassa's relief, the lord was none other than his old Dunmer friend, Relumara. The sight of his friend was exactly what he needed; he was relieved to know that he had survived and that the castle had managed to survive the return of the Great War.

Though the two were understandably shocked by the sight of each other, Relumara happily invited him to visit with the other Inner Council members. Much to Ja'vassa's surprise, the Inner Council had more or less been the same since he last saw them, the biggest difference being that they had gotten themselves infected with vampirism; with Relumara explaining that they did so to await for his return. However, the Council was down a member as Norra was missing. They explained that the Altmer was the part of the reason for their failure in Woodhearth as he had spilled some of their plans, though he never explained why he would do such a thing. While disappointed to hear that, Ja'vassa was glad that the other members were still alive and well. Following their reunion, Julara would take care of explaining what had happened following Ja'vassa's disappearance.

Shortly after the battle in Woodhearth, the Sjel Blad armies continued to push forward. Though Ja'vassa had been forced to flee, his army was ultimately successful in repelling the Aldmeri Dominion. Over the course of three years, both the Dragonborn's army and the Empire had been able to drive them off the mainland completely, erasing their presence from Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, while also reabsorbing Valenwood and Elsweyr into the Empire. To this day, only Morrowind remains untouched by the Empire on the mainland, though House Redoran and House Telvanni have offered their alliance to Sjel Blad due to Ja'vassa's previous work with the Great Houses. This was most reassuring to Ja'vassa; the signs of the Dominion's diminished influence were apparent to him during his exile, but he could never be entirely sure, this being the reason he largely kept to the shadows when traveling.

Julara further explained that while the Dominion's influence had greatly diminished and their presence on the mainland had been completely wiped out, there were still concerns on potential resurgences from the elven supremacists, until they can be absolutely sure that they won't launch another surprise attack like they did during the first Great War, the Empire would continue to rely upon Sjel Blad's help. Naval watches were set up by the Empire, watching the coasts of Hammerfell and Valenwood, while several of Sjel Blad's best guards were often hired to be patrol leaders to ensure the roads of the reformed Empire were safe for all of its citizens.

This was even more relieving for the Khajiit; though he likely wouldn't be welcomed on the soils of the Summerset Isles, he and many others would finally be able to walk amongst Tamriel without fear of them. The worship of Talos had been reinstated, the Blades were finally able to come out of hiding, the Empire was slowly returning to what it was prior to the Thalmor's formation, back to what it was before the Oblivion Crisis. Though this was good news, Ja'vassa admittedly found himself feeling... unneeded. He had intended to return to help the Empire thrive, but it seemed it did just fine without him. All the doubts and fears he had during his isolation seemed to have been completely unnecessary. Sjel Blad Castle ran smoothly without him, Relumara was clearly a skilled, respectable leader. This caused a few other thoughts to run through his head, though he'd worry about that later.

Before the night had ended, he was reunited with his daughters. Thanks to their vampirism, they hadn't aged a day either, looking just as they did when he disappeared. They had grown into strong, respectable warriors in their own right. Tsalira has cemented herself as one of Skyrim's greatest mages while Kisavi has become a respectable scout, her agility and speed nearly unmatched. While he was overjoyed to see them again, it was clear they were doing just fine on his own, and again, he felt unneeded. Perhaps that failure in Woodhearth was the end of his road, that everything he had done led up to that moment and everything afterwards was just... the encore. It was a depressing thought, but perhaps those thoughts had some weight to it. After his reunion with his daughters, Ja'vassa had entered the Hollowed Grove for his usual meditations, hoping that perhaps Kyne would speak to him again.

He'd remain in the Grove for hours, counseling in what she had told him, and once he was done, he had gone to sleep, his mind swirling with what the goddess said. His roaded hadn't ended in Woodhearth, his destiny led elsewhere, though he wasn't sure where. There was no war to fight, no great villain for him to slay, no dungeons to explore, no quests to be undertaken. Was that really all he could do? Of course not, there was plenty for him to explore and study, especially once he left the borders of Skyrim.


	18. The Undying Wanderer

In the days following Ja'vassa's return, he had been contemplating what his role was now that the war was as good as over. No villains to slay, no quests to undertake, Sjel Blad Castle had been well since he disappeared, perhaps even better than it was under his rule. His daughters were strong, his Inner Council were just and honorable. He spent most of time since his return in the Hollowed Grove, meditating on the Voice, trying to figure out his path now that it seemed his road to a halt. A heavy, metaphorical fog obscured his future and he was desperate to clear it away. Did the end of the path mean he was destined to die soon? Or was the fog merely covering up something bigger, something he just didn't understand yet?

His meditations hadn't revealed anything he didn't already know; back before the war, when he got like this, he regularly headed into the castle's library, searching for things to study and new quests to explore. During today's visit, he had rediscovered some of his old journals that had mentioned parts of his research into the Akaviri, including that of an expedition to the ruined Cloud Ruler Temple across the border in Cyrodiil. His old studies had prompted him to look into the possibility of actually visiting some of these lost continents. While he's been unable to locate maps to these lost continents, he figured if he went far enough in one direction, he'd reach them eventually. If he went far enough east, he'd eventually land in Akavir, at the very least, he'd circle back and land in Hammerfell. This was enough for him, but before he could do that, there'd be a few things he'd have to take care of first.

First things first, he'd have to procure a ship. While he had his Dwemer airship back at the Sanctuary, but it likely wouldn't be viable, so he'd have to either buy a normal ship, and though Sjel Blad had the funds, he felt it wouldn't be right taking from their reserves, so he'd have to do this the old fashioned way; to do this, he'd return to his family's old merchant business. With this in mind, he'd leave Sjel Blad Castle behind; while it wasn't permanent, he just wouldn't return to his old position as lord of the castle. Though his decision disappointed a few, they had understood why, and by that evening, he was back on the road again. His travels led him to arriving in Morthal, with him discussing the possibility of purchasing a plot of land in the hold.

They allowed him to purchase the land for a modest fee, giving him the opportunity to build a home in Hjaalmarch. The house consisted of everything he'd need; a spacious cellar to craft some of his goods, a kitchen, storage facility, and a tower for his alchemical and enchanting experiments. All of this would come in handy when selling the goods he had to offer. He set up a stall just a short distance in front of it, and thanks to some experiments with Conjuration magic, he had been able to summon a number of guardians to ensure that his home was safe. A pair of Ash Guardians protected the home itself, another one remained near the stall. A pair of Dremora would patrol the area, slaying anything that posed a threat to Ja'vassa or his home. In the following months, his sales were relatively strong, eventually giving him the needed funds to buy the ship he desired, but it'd be a few months before it'd be seaworthy.

As the months went by, he had gone about his usual business. He produced and sold his goods, did his usual research, until finally, a courier had informed him about the ship being readied, with it being docked at Solitude. With much excitement, he had gotten a carriage together, storing most of his finished goods and anything he didn't want to leave behind anything of importance. His Elder Scrolls, various treasures and precious items, storing on the back of the carriage. Once it was all packed and ready to leave, Ja'vassa boarded the caravan, summoning Durnehviir to help protect the caravan as they headed off for the docks.

The journey hadn't lasted for more than a few hours, and once he had reached his new ship, he had begun to load the goods from the caravan onto it; storing the weapons and armor in the lower decks, alchemical and magic goods along with his living quarters being the middle dock, while the upper decks simply consisted of a small dining table, a couple barrels of food, and various nets. Rather than using typical oars and wheels, the ship had used specialized alteration magic to move, Ja'vassa doing this to ensure that regardless of the weather or other factors, he could safely move the ship to the shores, or to ensure that thieves and bandits weren't able to take off with it.

Once everything was stored in the ship and once everything looked good, he'd resume the merchant life, this time, selling his goods beyond Skyrim. He was still planning to one day try and visit Akavir, and the other lost continents of Nirn. Until he was ready to leave Tamriel once and for all, he would continue to live his life as a merchant, sailing across most of northern Tamriel to sell his goods, occasionally venturing out to the southern provinces. He wasn't sure what his future held for him, but for now, he'd just worry about the present.


End file.
